Patna blasts: Ranchi cops try to establish Imtiaz-IM terror links

Jharkhand police have rushed a team to Bihar to interrogate Imtiaz Ansari who was arrested in Patna. His house in a Ranchi suburb was raided on Sunday following the serial blasts ahead of Narendra Modi rally, which left six dead.

Additional director general of police SN Pradhan said, “Imtiaz was probably running a training centre in his Dhurwa house under the guidance of Jharkhand Indian Mujahedeen chief Mohammad Tehsheen Akhtar alias Monu.” Tehsheen is the vital link from whose Samastipur (Bihar) resident IM founder Yasin Bhatkal was arrested a couple of months ago.

A senior official not authorised to speak to media said Tehsheen shared family ties with Imtiaz. Hyderabad serial blast attack accused and IM founder, Yasin Bhatkal was picked up by the NIA from Tehsheen’s Samastipur residence in Bihar a couple of months back.

The official added that after Bhatkal’s arrest, Tehsheen shifted base to Jharkhand and got active spreading the banned outfit’s activities.

"We are investigating on the basis of leads from our Bihar counterparts. Raids are being carried out on the information being provided by them to us,” said Pradhan.

Since Sunday evening, Ranchi police have carried out raids at 20 different places in the city and suburb. The NIA team joined them on Monday morning.

Jharkhand director general of police Rajeev Kumar said, “We will be interrogating Imtiaz with the help of our Bihar counterparts. A Jharkhand police team led by Ranchi city-SP Manoj Ratan Chotey will leave for Patna shortly.”

Police confirmed on Monday that a raiding team from Patna had arrested in all four suspects from the city identified as Imtiaz, Tarique, Taufique and Mohmmad Naoman. All of them hailed from Dhurva locality in the city suburbs.

Meanwhile, the police have decided to hand over the explosive powder recovered from Imtiaz’s residence to the NIA. It is yet to be established whether the same explosives were used in the Patna blasts.